In the wake of Tesla's recent fatal car accident, self-driving cars have come under more scrutiny than normal, as the safety for both passengers in the autonomous vehicle and other road users become growing concerns. In a recent accident involving a Google self-driving car, however, it was the other vehicle that was at fault.

According to Google, a commercial van ran a red light in Mountain View, California, hitting the side of a Lexus SUV fitted with the company's self-driving system. Thankfully, neither the Google passenger (not behind the wheel), nor the commercial van driver were hurt in the incident.

While this is the most significant reported crash for a Google self-driving car to date, it does highlight an element that the company has noted for some time now: that human error is often the largest factor when accidents occur. A statement given to 9to5google confirms as much, "thousands of crashes happen everyday on U.S. roads, and red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes in the U.S. Human error plays a role in 94% of these crashes, which is why we're developing fully self-driving technology to make our roads safer."  

Despite a fairly good driving record, it appears that Google's self-driving cars are still unable to avoid accidents, even when they do not cause them.